Victorian College of the Arts Secondary School
Encyclopedia
Victorian College of the Arts Secondary School (VCASS), is a state government selective school
in Victoria, Australia; a leading school and trainer of talented young dancers and musicians. Located in Southbank, within the Melbourne Arts Precinct
, VCASS teaches students from Year 7 to 12. As of 2010 it has an enrolment of approximately 340 students.
Dancers and musicians are accepted after annual auditions. Music and Dance students share academic subjects, but follow either a specialised music or dance training program for half the day. The school also provides academic classes to secondary students from other institutions including the Australian Ballet School
, Tennis Australia
, National Institute of Circus Arts
, Diving Victoria
and Gymnastics Victoria
.
(VCA), as a separate and complementary institution, VCASS was founded in 1978 by Lenton Parr
and Jack Pitt (as the Victorian College of the Arts Technical School). This was the same year that the tertiary VCA commenced its dance faculty, and VCASS was conceived as a preparatory school for the tertiary dance and music courses. For most of its history VCASS shared its campus and buildings with the tertiary VCA at 234 St Kilda Road, but in June 2009 moved to new purpose built premises at 57 Miles Street, Southbank. The former VCA is now The Faculty of the VCA and Music of The University of Melbourne, which retains ties to the Secondary School through a Memorandum of Understanding.
, with classes in jazz
, tap
, modern styles
, and other forms. It also incorporates fitness training and Gyrotonics. The Music curriculum is based on the Kodaly method
of musicianship training, with a core emphasis on solo and ensemble performance. Music students focus on classical or jazz repertoire, and are tutored by professional musicians and educators from the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra
, Orchestra Victoria
, University of Melbourne
, Monash University
, the jazz community and other areas. The Academic curriculum leads into studies and exams for the Victorian Certificate of Education
.
), and a dance season which has previously been held at the Malthouse Theatre and the Comedy Theatre, Melbourne
. In 2010 the school returned to the Malthouse and regards this as its home theatre.
in Manchester, the Dance School of Scotland in Glasgow, and Lycée Racine in Paris. In 2010 a new exchange program began with the Boston Arts Academy
in the USA, and closer relations are developing with the School of the Arts, Singapore
.
In 2009 Colin Simpson won the 'Outstanding School Leadership Award' in the annual Victorian Education Excellence Awards.
Musicians
Dancers
Selective school
A selective school is a school that admits students on the basis of some sort of selection criteria, usually academic. The term may have different connotations in different systems....
in Victoria, Australia; a leading school and trainer of talented young dancers and musicians. Located in Southbank, within the Melbourne Arts Precinct
Melbourne Arts Precinct
The Melbourne Arts Precinct is a series of galleries, performing arts venues and spaces in Melbourne, Victoria, in Australia. The precinct is situated less than 1 km from the Melbourne city centre in Southbank and is centred around, and near, St Kilda Road...
, VCASS teaches students from Year 7 to 12. As of 2010 it has an enrolment of approximately 340 students.
Dancers and musicians are accepted after annual auditions. Music and Dance students share academic subjects, but follow either a specialised music or dance training program for half the day. The school also provides academic classes to secondary students from other institutions including the Australian Ballet School
Australian Ballet School
The Australian Ballet School was founded in 1964 as the primary training facility for The Australian Ballet by Dame Margaret Scott. It is part of the Australian Ballet Centre, which is located in the Melbourne Arts Precinct, Southbank in Melbourne, Victoria...
, Tennis Australia
Tennis Australia
Tennis Australia is the governing body for the sport of Tennis in Australia. The organisation exists to promote tennis and conduct domestic and international tournaments on behalf of Australia, including the Australian Open and the Davis Cup for the Australian Davis Cup Team...
, National Institute of Circus Arts
National Institute of Circus Arts
The National Institute of Circus Arts is the only government-accredited institution that provides professional training in contemporary circus arts in Australia. It is a subsidiary of Swinburne University of Technology and is based at the university's Prahran campus.NICA is a registered cultural...
, Diving Victoria
Diving Australia
Diving Australia is an Athletic association, and the main body overseeing competitive diving in Australia.-External links:**...
and Gymnastics Victoria
Gymnastics Australia
Gymnastics Australia is the governing body for the sport of gymnastics in Australia.-History:Gymnastics in Australia is thought to have originated in the early 20th century by eastern European immigrants. It wasn't until after World War I when Australia was in the Great Depression that people...
.
History
Instigated by the former tertiary institution Victorian College of the ArtsVictorian College of the Arts
The Faculty of the VCA and Music is a faculty of the University of Melbourne, in Victoria . VCAM is located near the Melbourne central business district, on two campuses, one - the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music - on the Parkville campus of the University of Melbourne, and the other - the...
(VCA), as a separate and complementary institution, VCASS was founded in 1978 by Lenton Parr
Lenton Parr
Lenton Parr was an Australian sculptor and teacher born in East Coburg, Victoria.He spent eight years in the Royal Australian Air Force before enrolling to study sculpture at the Royal Melbourne Technical College , then worked in England 1955–57 as an assistant to Henry Moore...
and Jack Pitt (as the Victorian College of the Arts Technical School). This was the same year that the tertiary VCA commenced its dance faculty, and VCASS was conceived as a preparatory school for the tertiary dance and music courses. For most of its history VCASS shared its campus and buildings with the tertiary VCA at 234 St Kilda Road, but in June 2009 moved to new purpose built premises at 57 Miles Street, Southbank. The former VCA is now The Faculty of the VCA and Music of The University of Melbourne, which retains ties to the Secondary School through a Memorandum of Understanding.
Curriculum
The Dance curriculum is based on ballet techniqueBallet technique
The core technique of ballet has only minor regional variations globally. Various training methods have been devised, these produce a different physicality of performance and aesthetic results...
, with classes in jazz
Jazz dance
Jazz dance is a classification shared by a broad range of dance styles. Before the 1950s, jazz dance referred to dance styles that originated from African American vernacular dance. In the 1950s, a new genre of jazz dance—modern jazz dance—emerged, with roots in Caribbean traditional dance...
, tap
Tap dance
Tap dance is a form of dance characterized by using the sound of one's tap shoes hitting the floor as a percussive instrument. As such, it is also commonly considered to be a form of music. Two major variations on tap dance exist: rhythm tap and Broadway tap. Broadway tap focuses more on the...
, modern styles
Modern dance
Modern dance is a dance form developed in the early 20th century. Although the term Modern dance has also been applied to a category of 20th Century ballroom dances, Modern dance as a term usually refers to 20th century concert dance.-Intro:...
, and other forms. It also incorporates fitness training and Gyrotonics. The Music curriculum is based on the Kodaly method
Kodály Method
The Kodály Method, also referred to as the Kodály Concept, is an approach to music education developed in Hungary during the mid-twentieth century by Zoltán Kodály...
of musicianship training, with a core emphasis on solo and ensemble performance. Music students focus on classical or jazz repertoire, and are tutored by professional musicians and educators from the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra
Melbourne Symphony Orchestra
The Melbourne Symphony Orchestra is an orchestra based in Melbourne, Australia. It has 100 permanent musicians. Melbourne has the longest continuous history of orchestral music of any Australian city and the MSO is the oldest professional orchestra in Australia...
, Orchestra Victoria
Orchestra Victoria
Orchestra Victoria is an orchestra based in Victoria, Australia. In addition to its own concert and education events, it is the performance partner of the following major performing arts companies: The Australian Ballet, Opera Australia and Victorian Opera...
, University of Melbourne
University of Melbourne
The University of Melbourne is a public university located in Melbourne, Victoria. Founded in 1853, it is the second oldest university in Australia and the oldest in Victoria...
, Monash University
Monash University
Monash University is a public university based in Melbourne, Victoria. It was founded in 1958 and is the second oldest university in the state. Monash is a member of Australia's Group of Eight and the ASAIHL....
, the jazz community and other areas. The Academic curriculum leads into studies and exams for the Victorian Certificate of Education
Victorian Certificate of Education
The Victorian Certificate of Education or VCE is the credential awarded to secondary school students who successfully complete high school level studies in the state of Victoria, Australia. Study for the VCE is usually completed over two years, but it can be spread over a longer period in some cases...
.
Performances
VCASS hosts concerts and dance performances throughout each year, the largest of which are the annual "Iwaki Concert" held at the Iwaki Auditorium (in the ABC Southbank CentreAustralian Broadcasting Corporation
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly referred to as "the ABC" , is Australia's national public broadcaster...
), and a dance season which has previously been held at the Malthouse Theatre and the Comedy Theatre, Melbourne
Comedy Theatre, Melbourne
The Comedy Theatre is a 997 seat theatre in Melbourne. It was built in 1928, and was built in the Spanish style, with a Florentine-style exterior and wrought-iron balconies. It is located at 240 Exhibition Street, and diagonally opposite Her Majesty's Theatre, it is a part of the Marriner Theatre...
. In 2010 the school returned to the Malthouse and regards this as its home theatre.
International Exchange Program
VCASS has an International Exchange Program, which annually sends a few students to study in England, Scotland and France. The schools involved are Chetham's School of MusicChetham's School of Music
Chetham's School of Music , familiarly known as "Chets", is a specialist independent co-educational music school, situated in Manchester city centre, in North West England. It was established in 1969, incorporating Chetham's Hospital School, founded as a charity school by Humphrey Chetham in 1653...
in Manchester, the Dance School of Scotland in Glasgow, and Lycée Racine in Paris. In 2010 a new exchange program began with the Boston Arts Academy
Boston Arts Academy
Boston Arts Academy in Boston, Massachusetts, USA is Boston's first and only high school for the visual and performing arts and is a partnership between Boston Public Schools and the ProArts Consortium. ProArts, a group of six arts colleges and universities in the Boston area, pushed the city to...
in the USA, and closer relations are developing with the School of the Arts, Singapore
School of the Arts, Singapore
The School of the Arts is Singapore's specialized independent pre-tertiary arts school. It was initiated by Ministry of Information, Communication and the Arts, and caters to youths who have talent and capability in the arts....
.
Principals
| Year | Principal |
|---|---|
| 1977–1985 | Founding Principal, Jack Pitt |
| 1985–1992 | Graham Goetz |
| 1993 | Acting Principal: Alistair Gunn |
| 1994–2004 | Sylvia Kolarik |
| 2004-current | Colin Simpson |
In 2009 Colin Simpson won the 'Outstanding School Leadership Award' in the annual Victorian Education Excellence Awards.
Alumni
Some well known alumni from VCASS include:Musicians
- Natalie GauciNatalie GauciNatalie Gauci is an Australian singer of Italian and Maltese descent. Gauci undertook music tuition at the Victorian College of the Arts, formed her own band that played gigs in Melbourne, while also working as a music teacher...
, vocalist - Aaron Choulai, jazz pianist and composer
- Marshall McGuireMarshall McGuireMarshall McGuire is a renowned Australian harpist, teacher, conductor and musical administrator. He has been described as the world's greatest champion of new music for the harp. Tristram Cary has written "A new school of harp music is emerging from the enterprise of this innovative master...
, harpist - Teresa Blake, cellist, actor
- Miki Tsunoda, violinist, soloist
- Rob Burke, saxophonist
- John Arcaro, percussionist with the Melbourne Symphony OrchestraMelbourne Symphony OrchestraThe Melbourne Symphony Orchestra is an orchestra based in Melbourne, Australia. It has 100 permanent musicians. Melbourne has the longest continuous history of orchestral music of any Australian city and the MSO is the oldest professional orchestra in Australia...
- Rebecca Chambers, 1995 Young Australian of the Year
- Simon Fordham, violinist
- Patrick SavagePatrick Savage (composer/musician)Patrick Savage is an Australian-born film composer and violinist best known for his collaboration with Holeg Spies on the score for The Human Centipede.He was also formerly principal first violin with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in London, UK...
, film composer and former principal first violin with the Royal Philharmonic OrchestraRoyal Philharmonic OrchestraThe Royal Philharmonic Orchestra is a British orchestra based in London. It tours widely, and is sometimes referred to as "Britain's national orchestra"...
Dancers
- Annabel Knight, Sydney Dance CompanySydney Dance CompanyThe Sydney Dance Company is one of Australia's most successful and well-known contemporary dance companies. The company was founded in 1969 as the dance-in-education group Ballet in a Nutshell by Suzanne Musitz , later changing its name to Athletes and Dancers, and Dance Company ...
- Rachel Rawlins, Principal Artist with the Australian Ballet
- Tristan Message, Senior Artist with the Australian Ballet
- Rarmian Newton, one of the boys who played the title role in Australia's production of Billy Elliot the MusicalBilly Elliot the MusicalBilly Elliot the Musical is a musical based on the 2000 film Billy Elliot. The music is by Sir Elton John, and book and lyrics are by Lee Hall, who wrote the film's screenplay. The plot revolves around motherless Billy, who trades boxing gloves for ballet shoes...
. The school hosted Billy Elliot Productions while it was in Melbourne.